One May Morning
by KooKi3
Summary: If he could, Wally would probably pack Kuki up in bubble wrap and put her away somewhere safe so she'll never get hurt. Sometimes though, all he can do is help pick up the pieces after she's already been broken. 3/4 one-shot.


This had been floating around in my head for _years _and I finally got it down exactly as I want it :'D I really hope you enjoy it :3

Before we start, let us assume that numbuhs one to five are now at least seventeen. Let us also assume that they still live in the treehouse together (though why their parents let them, I have no idea, raging teenage hormones and all that) but they no longer have any missions, and therefore call each other by their first names.

* * *

One May Morning

It was an impossibly fine Saturday morning. The sky was a soft blue, and clouds moved lazily across it like wisps of candy floss. It was warm enough not to wear a coat, even though it was only early May. Sunlight illuminated the beads of dew clinging to the grass and leaves, and somewhere in the distance the faint hum of birdsong could be heard.

It was also one of those mornings that you wouldn't mind waking up early to. Wally padded into the kitchen rubbing his eyes to find his friends already at the table eating breakfast. He glanced at the kitchen clock. It was only eight.

"Morning."

Nigel nodded, his nose buried in the day's newspapers. Wally rolled his eyes. _Honestly_.

Hoagie was too busy making himself his second bowl of cereal to reply. The milk had to be poured just right, or, as he once told Wally, you might as well not eat cereal at all.

Abby took off her earphones. "Yo. You're up early." She smiled.

Wally glared at her as he randomly grabbed a cereal box. What was that supposed to mean?

Looking around the table, Wally noticed that there were no clean bowls left; Hoagie had used them all in search of the perfect milk to cereal ratio. He also noticed that one of the five kitchen chairs was conspicuously empty, and that was enough to make him forget all about food.

"Where's Kuki?"

Wally looked up to see Abby smirking at him, like she had been waiting for him to ask. "You won't be seeing her anytime soon. She got back pretty late last night."

"Right," Wally said, a little too quickly. Kuki had gone out with her boyfriend. How could he forget? She had only spent around forever picking out what to wear. Something hot surged through his body, and his fists curled around the cereal box he was holding. The crunching noise made even Hoagie look up from the table.

"C'mon man," Hoagie pulled out the chair next to him. "She's just sleeping in."

_At least she's back_, Wally thought moodily as he slumped into his chair and shoved dry cereal bits into his mouth. _If not…_

Wally didn't let himself finish that thought. Clenching his jaw, he sat back and switched on the television. Maybe the Saturday morning cartoons would be enough to keep his mind off Kuki. And her _boyfriend_.

* * *

Three hours later, she still hadn't shown up.

Wally was growing restless. His friends had long since left the table and peeled off to their own parts of the treehouse. (Abby had clapped him on the shoulder and smirked some more.) Yet he was still here, staring blankly at the television that wasn't even playing cartoons anymore.

He checked the clock again and mentally ran through his schedule for the day. Apart from a video game marathon with Hoagie in the afternoon he didn't really have anything else to do. He might as well check on Kuki; _someone_ had to make sure she actually got back all right. And he had to admit it: he missed her. He had barely seen her since she started dating that guy.

Picking through the dishes on the table, Wally extracted the Rainbow Munchies and set off for Kuki's room. As he neared the familiar green curtain, he was reminded of how much he hated it. How were you supposed to knock? You always felt like you were entering uninvited.

"Kuki?" Wally peered around the curtain.

Thousands of fluffy faces smiled up at him, but a quick scan showed that none of them were hers. She wasn't in bed, and she wasn't at her dresser, a recent addition to the room that held all kinds of lotions and potions that he couldn't even begin to comprehend. He was almost about to look somewhere else when he felt a breeze run through his hair. Her balcony door was open.

Wally slowly picked his way through the masses of stuffed toys cluttering the floor. Stepping outside, he shielded his eyes from the sunlight and almost tripped over the lone figure sitting dangerously close to the edge of the balcony.

"Oh crud…sorry Kuki, didn't see you there…"

The figure turned her head and her straight black hair swept around her bare shoulders to reveal her eyes. They were so bloodshot at the moment you could barely even tell that they were the colour of fresh lavenders through her smudged mascara.

Taking in Kuki's miniskirt and her hunched posture, a chill shot down Wally's spine as he imagined the worst. For a few heart-wrenching seconds, he was so angry he couldn't speak.

"Wally."

A small voice dragged him back to the present. He looked down to see Kuki tugging at his sleeve.

"Wally," she repeated. "It's not what you think, okay?" Dropping her hand, she turned and resumed staring out over the rooftops.

Wally slowly lowered himself down next to her, setting the Rainbow Munchies between them. He wanted nothing more than to go and beat something, or some_one_, senseless for what happened to Kuki, whatever it was – in his opinion, actions always spoke louder than words – but he wasn't about to leave her sitting here alone, not when her room was miles away from the ground, and when all safety devices were deactivated a long time ago.

"Kuki…what happened?" Wally wanted to put an arm around her, but somehow it just didn't feel like he should. He let it fall to his side.

The corners of Kuki's mouth turned up slightly in a grimace. "Nothing Wally," she said, her eyes unfocused and unblinking. "I just…couldn't sleep."

Wally wasn't sure what to say, but it wasn't like he had a lot of practice at this; he was never the sort of person people go to for comfort or condolence. Instead, he flipped open the Rainbow Munchies box and thrust it at Kuki. "You missed breakfast."

Taking the box, she shook out a handful and slowly let them drop one by one from her fingers, watching the cereal fall to the ground. Wally was starting to feel very uneasy. Before he could say anything else however, Kuki brushed the crumbs from her hands and turned her head skyward, closing her eyes and letting the sun fall onto her face. "It's such a beautiful day, Wally."

Things were getting a little too cryptic for his taste; Wally couldn't take it anymore. "Kuki," he burst out. "Can you just tell me what the crud is going on?!"

She didn't move at first, but then she spoke in a voice so soft Wally had to lean in to hear her, "We…broke up. He told me he met someone else."

She looked down again, tucking her legs up and wrapping her arms around her knees, as if she was trying to protect herself from hearing the admission out loud.

"What did I do wrong, Wally? What's wrong with me?"

Wally hated seeing Kuki like this. She looked so broken. So _lifeless_.

_There is nothing wrong with you_, he wanted to yell. He wanted to grab her shoulders and shake her until she believed him. _Anyone dumb enough to dump you doesn't deserve you_.

And yet, Wally knew he could never say something like that. This wasn't some cruddy soap opera.

"Where is he, Kuki?" He stood up, cracking his knuckles. "Let me sort this out for you."

For the first time since he stepped onto the balcony, Kuki smiled. "Nooo _Wally_, you're not going to go beat him _up_."

Wally was tempted to go and do it anyway, and was getting ready to run out when Kuki spoke again.

"You know, I tried to cry the whole night, but I just didn't have any tears." She rubbed her eyes.

"Then I tried to sleep, and I can't. I just want to forget about the whole thing…and I can't." A hint of hysteria crept into her voice. "I can't even do that."

It was unnerving how the guy who once made her so happy could be the same guy who turned her into a wreck. Wally was at a loss; he was used to solving Kuki's problems with his fists, but if there was anything that they couldn't fix, it was a broken heart.

"Kuki," he heard himself saying. He sat down next to her again, patting his shoulder. "Here. Try to sleep."

He didn't force her, but waited till he felt the soft weight of her head settle on his shoulder before shooting her a glance. Her eyes were closed, and her lashes were so long they skimmed her cheeks.

Trying not to move, Wally looked out over the neighbourhood and tried to remember where The Kid lived. It was just like him to draw Kuki in, then push her away when things started getting serious. If he ever happened to run into him…

If he asked, Hoagie would probably give him The Kid's exact coordinates, and he could go and beat the crud out of him right NOW, but Hoagie would want to know why, and would also definitely try to stop him.

"Hey Wally."

Startled out of his thoughts, Wally was just able to stop himself from jumping up in shock. He had thought Kuki had drifted off.

"Thanks for getting me breakfast. You still remember my favourite." Wally could feel her smiling.

"It's not that hard. The box had cruddy Rainbow Monkeys all over it," Wally replied gruffly. _Kuki, I remember everything about you_.

"Well, at least you still remember what they look like." Kuki nestled into his shoulder. "Unlike some people…"

It had to be said that Wally wasn't exactly unhappy that they had broken up; after all, he had a crush on her forever, but he had left it hanging for so long Kuki had assumed that he only wanted to be friends. And then she had gone and started dating The Kid.

Wally already knew it would take Kuki ages to get over him. It didn't take much for her to commit to someone, but once she did, she did it with a ferocity that Wally couldn't even find in himself. Looking down at her shattered form, he knew he would be willing to trade in anything if Kuki could only be happy again.

That was what love was about right? Putting someone else's happiness before your own.

Absentmindedly stroking Kuki's hair, he was struck by how quiet it was. No birds were singing, no insects were chirping, and even the cars below them were unnaturally silent. The late morning sunlight played with the leaves overhead and chased shadows across their faces. A sense of calm fell over him as he let his thoughts unfold.

And when Kuki did eventually get over The Kid, Wally would be there. He might even tell her how he really felt, and maybe, given enough time, she might just feel the same way about him. Right now though, all Kuki needed was a friendly shoulder, and Wally definitely had one or two to spare.

He was suddenly aware of Kuki's small sighs, warm and regular, against his cheek. Wally let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding.

Kuki had finally fallen blissfully asleep.


End file.
